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SECTION 3 ➤TABLE SAW SAFETY • Always use the blade guard and splitter. • Wear eye and hearing protection. • Raise the blade only one tooth above the surface of the stock being cut. • Know where your fingers are at all times. Place them consciously on a jig before pushing it through the cut. • Use push sticks when the fence is closer than a fist’s width from the blade. Keep the push sticks near enough to grab at any time. • Stand to the left side of the fence, pushing the work into it. Keep your head and body just to the left of the blade, out of the path of kickback. • Keep the blade sharp. Don’t force the work past a dull blade. • Move the work at a moderate feed rate past the blade. If the work starts to ride up on the blade, hold it firmly in place while you dial the blade down and out of the cut. Don’t try to force the wood down onto the blade. • Remember that everything that happens at the fence next happens at the than two toothed, which makes for a smoother, more balanced, and safer cut. JIGS Table saw jigs greatly extend the versatility of the saw as a joinery tool. Use an auxiliary fence on a regular table-saw fence when cut- blade and not vice versa. Always keep the workpiece held tight to the fence. • Keep the board from touching the back half of the blade. Use a splitter to prevent it from drifting into the blade. • Push the board through the blade and well past it before reaching around to grab it. • Use a runoff table or roller support to help with long boards or panels. Do not pull the work to feed it past the blade. • Never feed a board with a hand on the outfeed side of the cut. If the board kicks back, your hand will go along for the ride. • When using a dado blade, use a slower feed rate and greater caution. The dado blade cuts a wide swath and is more susceptible to kickback. • When using any metal jig, check to make sure it will clear the blade before you turn on the saw. • Be careful of trapping a small offcut between the blade and fence (or a stop) as the piece may kick back at you. ting wide boards that need support. You can also make zero-clearance cuts with an auxiliary fence and save cutting the saw’s fence. The miter gauge that comes with the table saw generally needs some tuning before use. Most have a sloppy fit in their tracks. Drill out the bars and insert commercially 34 Machines